Surfacing reference work entries on touch-sensitive displays

ABSTRACT

Techniques for outputting different reference work entries based on an amount of force applied to a touch-sensitive display of a device. For instance, when a user reads an electronic book (eBook) on a device having a touch-sensitive display, the user may make a selection of a word or phrase within the eBook by touching the display at a location of the word or phrase. The techniques may then determine which of multiple different reference work entries to output based on a measured amount of force of the selection. For instance, the device may output a dictionary definition of the selected word in response to measuring a first amount of force, while outputting a thesaurus entry for the word in response to measuring a second, greater amount of force.

BACKGROUND

A large and growing population of users is enjoying entertainmentthrough the consumption of digital content items (or simply “contentitems”), such as music, movies, images, electronic books, and so on. Theusers employ various electronic devices to consume such content items.Among these electronic devices are electronic book (eBook) readerdevices, cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs),portable media players, tablet computers, netbooks, and the like. As thequantity of available electronic media content continues to grow, alongwith increasing proliferation of devices to consume that media content,finding ways to enhance user experience continues to be a priority.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The detailed description is set forth with reference to the accompanyingfigures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a reference numberidentifies the figure in which the reference number first appears. Theuse of the same reference numbers in different figures indicates similaror identical items or features.

FIG. 1 illustrates an architecture in which a community of usersoperates respective client devices to consume content items, suchelectronic books (eBooks), songs, videos and the like. In thisarchitecture, the client devices and/or a content item service implementtechniques to provide context-sensitive reference works (e.g.,dictionaries, thesauruses, atlases, etc.) that provide requestedinformation to the users based on a genre of the content item associatedwith the request, a characteristic of the user, or the like.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of selected modules of an eBook reader devicecapable of receiving a request for information from a user experiencinga content item, determining a type of reference work entry appropriatefor the content item or the user, and providing the information to theuser from the determined type of reference work entry.

FIG. 3 illustrates an example user interface rendered by the devices ofFIGS. 1 and 2. Here, the device or the content item service hasdetermined that the eBook currently being read by the user is associatedwith a “medical” genre. As such, when the user requests a definition fora word within the eBook, the device displays a “medical” definition ofthe word rather than a standard or other type of definition.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example user interface rendered by the device ofFIG. 3 after the user has selected to view “more” definitions of theillustrated word “prognosis.” As shown, in response the device displaysdefinitions of “prognosis” in the medical sense, the standard sense, andthe legal sense.

FIG. 5 illustrates another example user interface rendered by thedevices of FIGS. 1 and 2. Here, the device is displaying an article froma periodical relating to “business.” As such, when the user requests tolook up in a thesaurus a word within the article, the device displayssynonyms and antonyms from a business-related thesaurus entry.

FIG. 6 illustrates another example user interface rendered by thedevices of FIGS. 1 and 2. Here, the device is displaying asports-related article. As such, when the user requests to look up in anencyclopedia a topic within the article, the device displays informationabout that topic from a sports-related encyclopedia entry.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram showing a process of classifying a content itemaccording to, for example, a genre and determining, based on theclassification, a type of reference work entry to use for the contentitem when a user requests information associated with a word, phrase, ortopic found within the content item.

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of selected modules of an example eBook readerdevice that may implement a touch-sensitive display and that is capableof outputting different reference work entries based on an amount offorce applied to the touch-sensitive display.

FIG. 9 illustrates an example user interface rendered by the device ofFIG. 8 after a user has made a selection of a word on thetouch-sensitive display of the device. Here, the device measures anamount of force of the selection and outputs a particular type ofreference work entry based on this measured amount of force.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example user interface rendered by the device ofFIG. 8 after the user has increased the amount of force on the selectedword. Here, the device outputs a second, different type of referencework entry based on this greater amount of force.

FIG. 11 illustrates an example user interface rendered by the device ofFIG. 8 after the user has yet again increased the amount of force on theselected word. Here, the device outputs a third, different type ofreference work entry based on this even greater amount of force.

FIG. 12 illustrates another example user interface rendered by thedevice of FIG. 8 after a user has made a selection of a word on thetouch-sensitive display of the device. Here, the device measures anamount of force of the selection and outputs a particularcontext-sensitive reference work entry based on this measured amount offorce.

FIG. 13 illustrates another example user interface rendered by thedevice of FIG. 8 after the user has increased the amount of force on thetouch-sensitive display. Here, the device outputs a second, differentcontext-sensitive reference work entry based on this greater amount offorce.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram showing a process of selecting which ofmultiple reference work entries to output based on an amount of measuredforce associated with a selection.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example user interface rendered by the device ofFIG. 8 after a user has made a selection of a word on thetouch-sensitive display of the device. Here, the device outputs areference work entry based on this selection.

FIG. 16 illustrates an example user interface rendered by the deviceafter the user has provided an additional input. In response, the deviceoutputs a second, different reference work entry. This input may includemore force on the display, an additional point of contact on thedisplay, activation of a key on a keypad, an oral command spoken by theuser or any other type of input.

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram showing a process of outputting a firstreference work entry in response to receiving a touch selection on adisplay and, thereafter, outputting a second, different reference workentry after receiving an additional input.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example user interface rendered by the device ofFIG. 8 after a user has made a selection of a word on thetouch-sensitive display of the device. Here, the device outputs areference work entry after determining that an amount of force of thisselection is less than a threshold force.

FIG. 19 illustrates an example user interface rendered by the device ofFIG. 8 after a user has made a selection of a word on thetouch-sensitive display of the device. Here, the device enables the userto select a reference work entry to output after the device determinesthat an amount of force of this selection is greater than a thresholdforce.

FIG. 20 is a flow diagram showing a process of determining whether tooutput a reference work entry or whether to allow a user to select whichreference work entry to output based on an amount of force of aselection.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This disclosure describes techniques for outputting different referencework entries based on an amount of force applied to a touch-sensitivedisplay of a device. For instance, when a user reads an electronic book(eBook) on a device having a touch-sensitive display, the user may makea selection of a word or phrase within the eBook by touching the displayat a location of the word or phrase. The techniques may then determinewhich of multiple different reference work entries to output based on ameasured amount of force of the selection. For instance, the device mayoutput a dictionary definition of the selected word in response tomeasuring a first amount of force. Additionally or alternatively, thedevice may output a thesaurus entry for the word in response tomeasuring a second, greater amount of force.

This disclosure also describes an architecture and techniques foroutputting requested information from reference works (e.g.,dictionaries, thesauruses, almanacs, atlases, encyclopedias, gazetteers)in a context-sensitive manner. For instance, when a user reads anelectronic book (eBook) and requests a definition for a word foundwithin the eBook, the techniques may display a definition for the wordthat has been selected based on the context of the request. In oneexample, the techniques may display a definition that corresponds to oneor more identified genres of the eBook in which the word appears. Inanother example, the techniques may display a definition thatcorresponds to known information about the user, such as a preference ofthe user or the like.

For instance, if a user currently reading a medical-related eBookrequests to receive a definition of a word from the eBook, thetechniques will display a medical-related definition of the word. If theuser reads a science-fiction (sci-fi) eBook, meanwhile, the techniquesmay display a sci-fi or science-related definition of the word. In eachof these instances, the techniques may display more than one definition,with the order of the displayed definitions being based on theclassification of the eBook. For instance, the medical definition may bedisplayed first in instances where the eBook is determined bemedical-related. As such, the techniques display information from areference work, such as the dictionary, in a manner that is more likelyto be relevant and of interest to the user.

While the discussion below describes these techniques in the context ofeBooks rendered on eBook reader devices, these techniques may apply to avariety of different types of content items, such as songs, videos,still images, and so on. Furthermore, the techniques may apply to avariety of different electronic devices, such as personal computers,cellular telephones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable mediaplayers, tablet computers, netbooks, and the like.

In each instance, the techniques may classify a particular content itemas being associated with one or more particular genres (e.g., science,science fiction, medicine, business, law, fiction, a particular foreignlanguage, etc.). Before or after the classification, a user experiencingthe content item may request some information regarding the content itemthat may be found within a reference work. For instance, the user mayrequest a definition of a word, synonyms or antonyms for a word,information from an encyclopedia regarding an identified word, phrase,or topic, a map for or directions to an identified location, or thelike. In response to receiving this request, the techniques select anentry from the appropriate type of reference work and then output (e.g.,visually, audibly, etc.) the reference work entry.

For instance, if a user requests information about a particular topicfrom within the content item, the techniques may select thecorresponding encyclopedia entry based on the genre of the content item.For instance, if the user currently experiences a sports-themed contentitem and the user requests information regarding the topic “bat,” thetechniques may output information regarding “bats” from a sports-themedencyclopedia. This information will likely discuss a round, elongatedobject for hitting a ball. If, however, the user currently experiencesan animal-related content item and the user makes the same request, thetechniques may output an encyclopedia entry from an animal-relatedencyclopedia. This information will likely discuss the nocturnal mammal.

While the above example describes referencing discrete reference works(here, encyclopedias), the techniques may instead reference a singlereference work that includes multiple different types of entries (e.g.,sports-related, animal-related, medical, etc.). For instance, a singleencyclopedia may include an entry for “bat” in the sports sense and anentry for “bat” in the animal sense. Here, the techniques may displayone or both of the definitions in a manner based on the identified genreof the content item.

The discussion begins with a section, entitled “Context-SensitiveReference Works,” that includes numerous sub-sections. A firstsub-section is entitled “Example Architecture” and describes one examplearchitecture and several example components that implement thetechniques introduced above. Next, a sub-section entitled “Example eBookReader Device” follows, and describes example components of one type ofdevice that may implement context-sensitive reference works. Asub-section entitled “Example User Interfaces” follows, describingexamples of user interfaces (UIs) that may be served to and rendered atthe client devices of FIG. 1. The discussion then moves on to illustrateand describe an “Example Process” for implementing the describedtechniques.

The discussion also includes a second section, entitled “SurfacingReference Work Entries on Touch-Sensitive Displays,” that also includesnumerous sub-sections. A first sub-section is entitled “Example eBookReader Device” and describes example components of one type of devicethat may implement the techniques in this section. A sub-sectionentitled “Example User Interfaces and Processes” follows before thediscussion ends with a brief conclusion.

This brief introduction, including section titles and correspondingsummaries, is provided for the reader's convenience and is not intendedto limit the scope of the claims, nor the proceeding sections.Furthermore, the techniques described above and below may be implementedin a number of ways and in a number of contexts. Several exampleimplementations and contexts are provided with reference to thefollowing figures, as described below in more detail. However, thefollowing implementations and contexts are but a few of many.

Context-Sensitive Reference Works

Architectural Environment

FIG. 1 illustrates an example architecture 100 in which a community ofusers 102 operates respective client devices 104(1), 104(2), 104(3), . .. , 104(M) to consume content items, such electronic books (eBooks),songs, videos, still images and the like. In this architecture, theclient devices 104 and/or a content item service 106 implementtechniques to provide context-sensitive reference works (e.g.,dictionaries, thesauruses, atlases, etc.) that provide requestedinformation to the users based on a genre of the content item associatedwith the request, a characteristic of the requesting user, or the like.

The client devices 104 are variously configured with differentfunctionality to enable consumption of one or more types of contentsitems of any type or format including, for example, electronic texts(e.g., documents of any format, electronic periodicals, such as digitalmagazines and newspapers, etc.), digital audio (e.g., music, audiblebooks, etc.), digital video (e.g., movies, television, short clips,etc.), images (e.g., art, photographs, etc.), and multi-media content.The terms “electronic book” and/or “eBook”, as used herein, includeelectronic or digital representations of printed works, as well asdigital content that may include text, multimedia, hypertext, and/orhypermedia. Examples of printed and/or digital works include, but arenot limited to, books, magazines, newspapers, periodicals, journals,reference materials, telephone books, textbooks, anthologies,instruction manuals, proceedings of meetings, forms, directories, maps,web pages, etc.

FIG. 1 illustrates that the client devices 104 operated by users of theuser community 102 may comprises eBook reader devices (e.g., devices104(1) and 104(2)), laptop computers (e.g., device 104(3)),multifunction communication devices (e.g., device 104(M)), portabledigital assistants (PDAs), wireless headsets, entertainment systems,portable media players, tablet computers, cameras, video cameras,netbooks, notebooks, desktop computers, gaming consoles, DVD players,media centers, or any other type of device.

In the architecture 100, the client devices may receive, over a network108, one or more content items for presentation on the devices from thecontent item service 106. The network 108 is representative of any oneor combination of multiple different types of networks, such as theInternet, cable networks, cellular networks, wireless networks, andwired networks. One example of a wireless technology and associatedprotocols is the Wireless Fidelity (WiFi) wireless networkingtechnologies defined according to IEEE 802.11 standards, while anotherexample is a cellular network.

As illustrated, the content item service 106 is embodied as one or moreservers that collectively have processing and storage capabilities toreceive requests for content items from the devices, such as the eBookreader device 104(1). The servers of the content item service 106 may beembodied in any number of ways, including as a single server, a clusterof servers, a server farm or data center, and so forth, although otherserver architectures (e.g., mainframe) may also be used. Alternatively,the content item service 106 may be embodied as a client device, such asdesktop computer, a laptop computer, an eBook reader device and soforth. In some implementations, for instance, some or all of theelements of content item service 106 illustrated in FIG. 1 may reside onthe client devices 104.

In the illustrated example, the content item service 106 includes acontent item distribution system 110, a content item database 112, and acontent item classifier 114. The content item distribution system 110may support distribution of content items (e.g., online retailing via awebsite) to the client devices 104. In some implementations, the serversstore the content items in the content item database 112, although inother implementations, the servers merely facilitate purchase anddelivery of content items stored in other locations.

The content item classifier 114, meanwhile, serves to classify contentitems by, for example, genre. For instance, the classifier 114 mayclassify content items as relating to fiction, non-fiction, historical,science, science fiction, medicine, business, law, sports, animals,geography, computer science, engineering, chemistry, mathematics, aparticular language or any other type of genre, category, orclassification. To classify these content items, the classifier 114 mayreference a prior categorization of the content items within, forexample, the content item database 112. Or, the classifier may classifythese content items in other ways, as discussed in detail below.

Furthermore, the content item classifier 114 may classify content itemsas relating to multiple different genres. For instance, an eBook thatincludes multiple sections may be associated with different genrescorresponding to the different sections of the book. A textbook, forinstance, may include a section classified as relating to mathematics, asection classified as relating to science, and a section classified asrelating to medicine. A single section or an entire eBook may also beclassified as relating to multiple genres.

As discussed in detail below, these genre classifications may be used todetermine which category of reference work entry to use when receiving arequest for information from a user. For instance, if a user reading theafore-mentioned textbook requests a definition for a word found withinthe science section of the book, the device of the user may display ascience-related dictionary entry (alone or more prominently than otherdefinitions).

The content item classifier 114 may classify content items in amultitude of ways. As illustrated, the content item classifier 114includes a contents analysis module 116, a feedback module 118, and auser analysis module 120. The contents analysis module 116 may classifycontent items with reference to the actual contents of the item. Usingan eBook as an example, this module 116 may scan the text of the eBookto identify key words and may then compare these identified key words toknown, pre-compiled sets of key words associated with different genres.For example, the module 116 may scan contents of an eBook and mayidentify that the most-frequently used words of the eBook include“medicine,” “doctor,” “Dr.,” “disease,” and “hospital.” As such, themodule 116 may compare these key words to sets of key words associatedwith different genres before concluding that this book should beclassified as being within the medical genre. Similarly, the module 116may analyze images or sounds within a content item and may compare theseimages or sounds to known sets of images or sounds associated withidentified genres.

In some instances, this module 116 may weight certain words more heavilythan others. For instance, the module 116 may weight the words of thetitle more heavily than the words within the chapters of the book.Similarly, the module 116 may assign a larger weight to the name of theauthor, the identity of the publisher, and the like.

The feedback module 118, meanwhile, serves to classify content items inwhole or in part based upon received feedback. For instance, thesetechniques may include querying human users as to the genre of a contentitem and using responses from the users as input in determining thegenre(s) of the respective content item. Furthermore, this module 118may also track user actions in order to receive this feedback. Forinstance, envision that a user requests a definition found within aparticular eBook for the term “boil.” Envision also that the classifier114 has classified this eBook as relating to science and, as such, theuser's device displays a science definition of the term boil, explainingthat “boiling” refers to when a liquid changes state to a gas. However,feedback module 118 may determine (e.g., via an indication received overthe network 108) that the user requested to see a different definitionof the term “boil” (e.g., a medical definition). In this instance, thefeedback module 118 may deduce that the eBook should have beenclassified as being of the “medical” genre rather than the “science”genre.

In some instances, the classifier 114 may assign a confidence level to aparticular genre associated with a content item and may alter this genrebased on feedback received at the feedback module 118. For instance, theclassifier may determine that the eBook from this example above is 53%likely to be primarily of a “science” genre and 47% likely to beprimarily of a “medical” genre. After receiving feedback similar to thefeedback from the user discussed immediately above, these percentagesmay change such that the classifier 114 now judges that the eBook ismore likely to relate to medicine than pure science. As such, theclassifier 114 may change the assigned genre to “genre” (or may changethe primary genre to “medical” while marking “science” as a secondarygenre).

The user analysis module 120, meanwhile, may function to classifycontent items in whole or in part based upon the identity of the userexperiencing the media item. For instance, when the content itemdistribution system 110 downloads an eBook to the eBook reader device104(1), the module 120 may analyze known information about the userassociated with the device by, for instance, referencing a user profilestored in an account of the user at the content item service 106. Themodule 120 may then use this known information about the user to helpdeduce the genre of the eBook.

For instance, envision that the user associated with the eBook readerdevice 104(1) often purchases eBooks, audio items, and the like that areclassified as being of the “medical” genre. Therefore, when attemptingto determine the genre of a new eBook purchased at the device 104(1),the module 120 may more heavily weight the chances of this eBook beingrelated to medicine. The user analysis module 120 may similarly use anyother known information about the user to help classify content items,including a location of the user, demographic information of the user,an address of the user, and the like.

With information from some or all of the modules 116, 118, and 120, thecontent item classifier 114 may classify content items as belonging toone or more genres. For instance, individual sections of content items(e.g., chapters, individual songs or tracks, etc.) may each beassociated with one or more genres, or an entire content item may beassociated with a single or multiple genres. In each instance, thedetermined genre(s) is helpful to determine the appropriate type orcategory of reference work entry to use when a user requests informationregarding a word, phrase, or topic within the corresponding contentitem.

FIG. 1, for instance, illustrates that the eBook reader device 104(1)currently displays a fictitious eBook 122 entitled “Secrets to InternalMedicine” by a fictitious author “Dr. Grace Bradley,” which the device104(1) may have downloaded from the content item service 106. FIG. 1also illustrates that the content item database 112 stores the sameeBook 122. In addition, FIG. 1 illustrates that the content itemclassifier 114 has classified this eBook 122 as relating a particulargenre 124. Here, the classifier 114 has determined that the eBookrelates to medicine and has classified this book accordingly. Thecontent item database 112 may similarly store multiple other contentitems along with a notation of the genre(s) of each of these otheritems.

In this example, the user of the eBook reader device 104(1) has selected(via a highlight 126) a particular word (“prognosis”) from the eBook122. In response, the eBook reader device 104(1) displays a definition128 of the selected word. Here, the definition 128 of the word comesfrom a medical dictionary entry, which corresponds to the classificationof the eBook 16 as being related to the “medical” genre. As such, thisdefinition 128 states that a “prognosis” is “a forecast of the probablecourse and/or outcome of a disease.” While this example describes adictionary, other implementations may employ other types or categoriesof reference works, a few examples of which are discussed below.

Example eBook Reader Device

FIG. 2 illustrates example components that might be implemented in theeBook reader device 104(1) of FIG. 1 that displays information providedby context-sensitive reference works, such as dictionaries or the like.In this example, the eBook reader device 104(1) is a dedicated, handheldeBook reader device, although other electronic devices may implementthese techniques and, hence, may include some of the functionalitydescribed herein.

In a very basic configuration, the eBook reader device 104(1) includesone or more processing units 202 and memory 204. Depending on theconfiguration of a dedicated eBook reader device 104(1), the memory 204(and other memories described throughout this document) is an example ofcomputer storage media and may include volatile and nonvolatile memory.Thus, the memory 204 may include, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM,EEPROM, flash memory, or other memory technology, or any other mediumwhich can be used to store media items or applications and data whichcan be accessed by the eBook reader device 104(1).

The memory 204 may be used to store any number of functional componentsthat are executable on the processing unit(s) 202, as well as data andcontent items that are rendered by the eBook reader device 104(1). Thus,the memory 204 may store an operating system and an eBook storagedatabase to store one or more content items 206, such as eBooks, audiobooks, songs, videos, still images, and the like. The memory 204 mayfurther include a memory portion designated as an immediate page memoryto temporarily store one or more pages of an electronic book. The pagesheld by the immediate page memory are placed therein a short periodbefore a next page request is expected.

The term “page,” as used herein, refers to a collection of content thatis presented at one time in a display of the eBook reader device 104(1).Thus, a “page” may be understood as a virtual frame of the content, or avisual display window presenting the content to the user. Thus, “pages”as described herein are not fixed permanently, in contrast to the pagesof published “hard” books. Instead, pages described herein may beredefined or repaginated when, for example, the user chooses a differentfont for displaying the content in the first display. In addition topages, the terms “page views”, “screen views”, and the like are alsointended to mean a virtual frame of content.

An interface module 208 may also be provided in memory 204 and may beexecuted on the processing unit(s) 202 to provide for user operation ofthe device 104(1). One feature of the interface module 208 allows a userto request to receive information from a reference work regarding aword, phrase, or topic found within one of the content items 206. Forinstance, the interface module 208 may allow the user to request adefinition of a word from a dictionary, synonyms from a thesaurus, a mapfrom an atlas, and the like.

The interface module 208 may facilitate textual entry of request (e.g.,via a cursor, controller, keyboard, etc.), audible entry of the request(e.g., via a microphone), or entry of the request in any other manner.The interface module 208 may provide menus and other navigational toolsto facilitate selection and rendering of the content items 206. Theinterface module 208 may further include a browser or other applicationthat facilitates access to sites over a network, such as websites oronline merchants.

A content presentation application 210 renders the content items 206.The content presentation application 210 may be implemented as variousapplications depending upon the content items. For instance, theapplication 210 may be an electronic book reader application for rendingelectronic books, or an audio player for playing audio books or songs,or a video player for playing video, and so forth.

The memory 204 may also store user credentials 212. The credentials 212may be device specific (set during manufacturing) or provided as part ofa registration process for a service. The credentials may be used toensure compliance with DRM aspects of rendering the content items 206.

The memory 204 also stores one or more reference works 214, such as oneor more dictionaries, thesauruses, encyclopedias, atlases, gazetteers,and the like. In some instances, the memory 204 stores multiplecategories of a particular kind of reference work. For instance, thememory 204 may store a standard dictionary (e.g., Merriam-Webster®English Dictionary), a medical dictionary, a legal dictionary, a sciencedictionary, a science-fiction dictionary, an engineering dictionary, aforeign language dictionary, a business dictionary, a chemistrydictionary, a mathematics dictionary, and the like. In other instances,a single kind of reference work may contain multiple reference workentry types. For instance, a single dictionary may store, for one ormore of the words therein, a standard dictionary entry, a medicaldictionary entry, a legal dictionary entry, a science dictionary entry,and the like.

FIG. 2 further illustrates that the memory 204 stores a feedback module216 that is executable on the processing unit(s) to receive userfeedback regarding an outputted reference work entry or a classifiedgenre of a content item. As discussed above, this feedback may be usedto help re-classify the genre associated with the content item.

The eBook reader device 104(1) also stores a reference entry selectionmodule 218 that is executable on the processing unit(s) to select aparticular type of reference work entry based on a genre of a contentitem, a characteristic of a user, or the like. For instance, this module218 may store or reference a table that maps “content item genres” to“reference work entry types.” Therefore, when the content presentationapplication 210 outputs a content item of a particular genre and theuser requests some reference work information associated with a word,phrase, or topic therein, the module 218 may reference this table todetermine the type of entry to output. In some instances, the referenceentry selection module 218 may reside on the content item service 106 orin another location, in which case the eBook reader device 104(1) mayaccess the module 218 over the network 108.

In the example of FIG. 1, the module 218 may determine that theapplication 210 should display a medical definition when receiving arequest for a word within an eBook that has been categorized as“medical” in nature. This table may similarly map a “legal” genre to a“legal” reference work entry type, a “sci-fi” genre to a “science”reference work entry type, a “historical fiction,” “British lit” and thelike to a “standard” reference work entry type, and so on. In someinstances, this table may map combinations of genres to reference workentry types. For instance, the table may map an eBook that is associatedwith both a “medical” genre and a “mystery” genre to a “standard”reference work entry type rather than a “medical” reference work entrytype. It is to be appreciated, however, that FIG. 2 simply illustratesseveral example mappings, and that any type of content item genre maymap to any type of reference work entry type in certain implementations.

FIG. 2 further illustrates that the eBook reader device 104(1) mayinclude a display 220, which may be passive, emissive or any other formof display. In one implementation, the display uses electronic paper(ePaper) display technology, which is bi-stable, meaning that it iscapable of holding text or other rendered images even when very littleor no power is supplied to the display. Some example ePaper-likedisplays that may be used with the implementations described hereininclude bi-stable LCDs, MEMS, cholesteric, pigmented electrophoretic,and others. In other implementations, or for other types of devices, thedisplay may be embodied using other technologies, such as LCDs andOLEDs, and may further include a touch screen interface. In someimplementations, a touch sensitive mechanism may be included with thedisplay to form a touch-screen display.

The eBook reader device 104(1) may further be equipped with variousinput/output (I/O) components 222. Such components may include varioususer interface controls (e.g., buttons, a joystick, a keyboard, etc.),audio speakers, connection ports, and so forth.

A network interface 224 supports both wired and wireless connection tovarious networks, such as cellular networks, radio, WiFi networks, shortrange networks (e.g., Bluetooth), IR, and so forth. The networkinterface 224 may allow a user of the device 104(1) to download contentitems from the content item service 106, may allow the feedback module216 to provide received feedback to the service 106, and the like.

The eBook reader device 104(1) also includes a battery and power controlunit 226. The battery and power control unit operatively controls anamount of power, or electrical energy, consumed by the eBook readerdevice. Actively controlling the amount of power consumed by the readerdevice may achieve more efficient use of electrical energy stored by thebattery.

The eBook reader device 104(1) may have additional features orfunctionality. For example, the eBook reader device 104(1) may alsoinclude additional data storage devices (removable and/or non-removable)such as, for example, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Theadditional data storage media may include volatile and nonvolatile,removable and non-removable media implemented in any method ortechnology for storage of information, such as computer readableinstructions, data structures, program modules, or other data.

Various instructions, methods and techniques described herein may beconsidered in the general context of computer-executable instructions,such as program modules, executed by one or more computers or otherdevices. Generally, program modules include routines, programs, objects,components, data structures, etc. for performing particular tasks orimplement particular abstract data types. These program modules and thelike may be executed as native code or may be downloaded and executed,such as in a virtual machine or other just-in-time compilation executionenvironment. Typically, the functionality of the program modules may becombined or distributed as desired in various embodiments. Animplementation of these modules and techniques may be stored on ortransmitted across some form of computer readable media.

Example User Interfaces

FIGS. 3-6 illustrate example user interfaces that the eBook readerdevice 104(1) (and the other client devices of the architecture 100) mayrender in accordance with the techniques described above. While thesefigures illustrates a few example interfaces it is to be appreciatedthat numerous other types of interfaces displaying information fromnumerous other types of reference works may be implemented using thedescribed techniques.

FIG. 3 illustrates the example user interface described above withreference to FIG. 1. Here, the eBook reader device 104(1) or the contentitem service 106 has determined that the eBook 122 currently being readby the user is associated with a “medical” genre. As such, when the userrequests a definition for a word within the eBook, the device displays a“medical” definition of the word rather than a standard or other type ofdefinition.

Specifically, FIG. 3 illustrates that the user has selected (e.g., via akeyboard, cursor, touch screen, etc.) the word “prognosis,” asillustrated by the highlight 126. While the user selects a word in thisexample, the user may select a phrase in other embodiments. In responseto the selection, the device 104(1) displays the medical definition 128of this word. As illustrated, this definition 128 includes an indication302 that this definition is in fact the medical definition, rather thananother type of definition (e.g., a standard definition, a sciencedefinition, etc.).

In this example, the eBook reader device 104(1) may display a definitionfrom a dictionary when the user selects a word, although in otherimplementations the device may display synonyms from a thesaurus,information from an encyclopedia, or information any other referencework type. In still other implementations, the device 104(1) may promptthe user to select the type of the reference work from which the deviceshould display information.

FIG. 3 also illustrates that the definition 128 includes an icon 304(“More”) that, when selected, allows the user to view additionaldefinitions of the word “prognosis.”

FIG. 4 illustrates an example user interface rendered by the eBookreader device 104(1) after the user has selected to view “more”definitions of the word “prognosis.” As shown, in response the devicedisplays the definition 128 of this word in the medical sense first,followed by a definition 402 of the word in a standard sense, and adefinition 404 of the word in a legal sense. Here, the order of the listis also based on the genre of the eBook, with the medical definitionappearing first. In some instances, one or both of the feedback modules118 and 216 may use the user's selection of the icon 304 as anindication that the eBook or the currently displayed portion of theeBook may need to be re-classified. For instance and as discussed above,this selection may alter the confidence level associated with thecurrently associated genre.

FIG. 5 illustrates another example user interface rendered by the eBookreader device 104(1). Here, the device currently displays an eBook 502comprising a periodical article that has been determined to relate thegenre “business.” As such, when the user requests information from areference work regarding a word, phrase, or topic from the eBook 502,the device may display a reference work entry associated with the genre“business.”

Here, for instance, the user requests (either explicitly or via defaultsettings) to look up the word “bear” in a thesaurus, as indicated by ahighlight 504. In response, the eBook reader device 104(1) displays anentry 506 from a thesaurus, the entry comprising synonyms and antonyms.As illustrated, an indication 508 indicates that this entry correspondsto a “business” use of the term “bear,” as the synonyms include“pessimist, cynic, defeatist, misanthrope,” while the antonyms include“bull, optimist.” This is contrasted with the standard use of the term“bear” in the English language, having synonyms of bear “stand, stomach,tolerate, abide” and the like. However, by displaying a business-relatedthesaurus entry when the user reads a business-related eBook, the device104(1) is more likely to provide the user with the information that sheseeks. Furthermore, the device 104(1) also displays the “more” icon 304to allow the user to view other thesaurus entry types associated withthe word “bear” (e.g., the standard use entry, an entry related toanimals, etc.).

FIG. 6 illustrates another example user interface rendered by the eBookdevice 104(1). Here, the device 104(1) is displaying an eBook 602 in theform of an article that has been determined be associated with a“sports” genre. Here, the user requests to look up the topic “bat” in anencyclopedia, as indicated by a highlight 604. In response, the device104(1) displays an entry 606 from a sports-related encyclopedia thatexplains the history and importance of a “baseball bat.” The eBookdevice 104(1) also displays an indication 608 that the entry 606 residesin a sports-related encyclopedia, or that the entry is sports-relatedentry in a general encyclopedia.

Again, the device also displays the “more” icon that, when selected,causes the device to display other articles associated with the term“bat,” such as an article about the nocturnal mammal In instances wherethe currently displayed eBook 602 has user been classified as related toan “animal” genre, the device 104(1) may instead display theanimal-related encyclopedia entry first, rather than the illustratedsports-related entry 606.

Example Process

FIG. 7 illustrates an example process 700 for implementing thetechniques described above of providing context-sensitive reference workentries. This process is illustrated as a logical flow graph, eachoperation of which represents a sequence of operations that can beimplemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. In thecontext of software, the operations represent computer-executableinstructions that, when executed by one or more processors, perform therecited operations. Generally, computer-executable instructions includeroutines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and the likethat perform particular functions or implement particular abstract datatypes. The order in which the operations are described is not intendedto be construed as a limitation, and any number of the describedoperations can be combined in any order and/or in parallel to implementthe process.

For discussion purposes, the process 700 is described with reference tothe architecture 100 of FIG. 1, although other architectures mayimplement this process.

Process 700 includes an operation 702, which represents classifying acontent item as belonging to one or more genres, such as one or more ofthe genres discussed above. This analyzing may include one or acombination of sub-operations 702(1), 702(2), and 702(3). Classifying acontent item may include, for instance, analyzing contents of thecontent item at sub-operation 702(1). This may include analyzing acontent item for key words and comparing these key words to sets of keywords associated with different respective genres. Sub-operation 702(2),meanwhile, may include referencing a prior categorization of the contentitem, such as from an electronic catalog of content items. Finally,sub-operation 702(3) may include referencing feedback regarding thecontent item itself, as discussed above.

After classifying the item, an operation 704 represents determining areference work entry to use for the content item based at least in parton the classified genre of the item. For instance, if the item has beenclassified as “legal,” operation 704 may determine that a “legal”reference work entry should be used. Conversely, if the reference workis classified as “thriller,” then operation 704 may determine that a“standard” reference work entry should be used.

Next, an operation 706 represents receiving a request for informationfound within a reference work regarding a word, phrase, or topic foundwithin the content item. This may include, for example, receiving arequest for a definition of a word from a dictionary, synonyms orantonyms for the word from a thesaurus, information regarding a topicfrom an encyclopedia, a map from an atlas, or the like.

Operation 708, meanwhile, represents selecting a reference work entryfrom the determined type of reference work entry type. For instance,after the user requests to receive a definition of the word “prognosis”found within a medical-related book, operation 708 may select themedical definition of “prognosis.” Next, an operation 710 representsoutputting (visually, audibly, etc.) the selected reference work entry,such as the medical definition of the term “prognosis.” Again, thisoutputting may comprise outputting multiple definitions of the word inan order based at least in part on the classified genre(s) of thecontent item. For instance, operation 710 may output multipledefinitions of the word “prognosis,” with the medical definition beingdisplayed first or more prominently in the list relative to the otherdefinitions.

Operation 712 represents querying whether feedback (e.g., user feedback)has been received in response to the output of the reference work entry.For instance, operation 712 may query whether the user decided to viewadditional definitions of the word “prognosis.” If so, then thisfeedback is fed back to the classification block to potentially alterthe classification of the content item. If no feedback is received, thenthe process 700 ends at operation 714.

Surfacing Reference Work Entries on Touch-Sensitive Displays

Example eBook Reader Device

FIG. 8 is a block diagram of selected modules of an eBook reader device800 that may implement a touch-sensitive display and that is capable ofoutputting different reference work entries based on an amount of forceapplied to the touch-sensitive display. The illustrated eBook readerdevice 800 may include several similar or identical components as theeBook reader device 104(1) described above.

In this example, the eBook reader device 800 is a dedicated, handheldeBook reader device, although other electronic devices may implementthese techniques and, hence, may include some of the functionalitydescribed herein. For instance, mobile telephones, tablet computers,laptop computers, desktop computers, personal media players, portabledigital assistants (PDAs), kiosks or any other fixed or mobile type ofelectronic device may implement the components and techniques describedbelow.

In a basic configuration, the example eBook reader device 800 includesone or more processing units 802 and memory 804. In addition, the eBookreader device 800 may include a touch sensor 806 that enables a user ofthe device to operate the device via touch inputs. In some instances,the touch sensor 806 and the display 220 are integral to provide atouch-sensitive display that displays content items (e.g., eBooks) andallows users to navigate the content items via touch inputs on thedisplay.

The memory 804 may be used to store any number of functional componentsthat are executable on the processing unit(s) 802, as well as data andcontent items that are rendered by the eBook reader device 800. Thus,the memory 804 may store an operating system and an eBook storagedatabase to store the one or more content items 206 described above,such as eBooks, audio books, songs, videos, still images, and the like.

A content presentation application 210 renders the content items 206.The content presentation application 210 may be implemented as variousapplications depending upon the content items. For instance, theapplication 210 may be an electronic book reader application for rendingelectronic books, an audio player for playing audio books or songs, avideo player for playing video, and so forth.

The memory 804 may also store user credentials 212. The credentials 212may be device specific (set during manufacturing) or provided as part ofa registration process for a service. The credentials may be used toensure compliance with DRM aspects of rendering the content items 206.

The memory 804 also stores (persistently or temporarily) one or morereference works 214, such as one or more dictionaries, thesauruses,encyclopedias, atlases, gazetteers, and the like. In some instances, thememory 204 stores multiple categories of a particular kind of referencework. For instance, the memory 204 may store a standard dictionary(e.g., Merriam-Webster® English Dictionary), a medical dictionary, alegal dictionary, a science dictionary, a science-fiction dictionary, anengineering dictionary, a foreign language dictionary, a businessdictionary, a chemistry dictionary, a mathematics dictionary, and thelike. In other instances, a single kind of reference work may containmultiple reference work entry types. For instance, a single dictionarymay store, for one or more of the words therein, a standard dictionaryentry, a medical dictionary entry, a legal dictionary entry, a sciencedictionary entry, and the like. In still other instances, the device maystore a dictionary that accompanies a particular eBook. For instance,the device may store a dictionary that a publisher of a particular eBookcreates for that particular eBook or for a particular series of eBooks.

The memory 804 may also include the interface module 208 that, asdescribed above, provides for user operation of the device 104(1). Onefeature of the interface module 208 allows a user to request to receiveinformation from a reference work regarding a word, phrase, or topicfound within one of the content items 206. For instance, the interfacemodule 208 may allow the user to request a definition of a word from adictionary, synonyms from a thesaurus, a map from an atlas, and thelike.

The interface module 208 may facilitate textual entry of request (e.g.,via a cursor, controller, keyboard, etc.), audible entry of the request(e.g., via a microphone), or entry of the request in any other manner.

The memory 804 also stores a touch-input controller 808 to detect touchinputs received via the touch sensor 806 and, in some instances tomeasure of a force of the touches. In some instances, the touch-inputcontroller 808 is configured to detect multiple touches on the touchsensor 806 as well as to measure an amount of force of each of thetouches.

The eBook reader device 800 also stores a reference entry selectionmodule 810 that is executable on the processing unit(s) to select aparticular type of reference work entry in response to receiving anindication of a touch input. For instance, in response to the userselecting a particular portion of a rendered content item via a touchinput, the reference entry selection module 810 may select a particulartype of reference work entry to output based on a measured force of thetouch input. For example, if a user selects a particular word on thetouch-sensitive display, the module 810 may map the amount of force ofthe touch to one of multiple different reference work entries.

In one specific example, the module 810 outputs a dictionary definitionof the word in response to the user providing a first amount of force, athesaurus entry for the word in response to the user providing a greateramount of force, and an encyclopedia entry for the word in response tothe user providing an even greater amount of force. Or, the module 810may select and output multiple different reference work entries within asame type of reference work. For instance, the module 810 may output amedical definition of a word in response to a touch input having a firstforce, a standard definition of the word in response to a touch inputhaving a greater force, and a legal definition of the work in responseto a touch input having an even greater force.

As such, the reference entry selection module 810 allows a user totoggle through multiple reference work entries for a particular word,phrase, or topic by providing additional force to the touch-sensitivedisplay. The order and substance of the outputted reference work entriesmay be configurable by a user of the device, may be set by a publisheror distributor of a corresponding content item, or the like.Furthermore, while a few example configurations have been described,multiple other configurations may also be implemented.

In some instances, the reference entry selection module 810 selects areference work entry to output based on factors in addition to a firsttouch input. For instance, a user may select a word or other portion ofa content item on touch-sensitive display and, in response, the module810 may select and output a first reference work entry. Thereafter, theuser may provide an additional input and, in response, the module 810may select and output a different reference work entry.

The additional input may comprise an additional touch, the useractivating a button on the keypad, the user orally stating a command, orany other type of user input. As such, the user is able to togglethrough multiple reference work entries by providing an input to thetouch sensor 806 and thereafter providing additional inputs to the touchsensor 806 and/or the interface module 208. For instance, where thetouch sensor 806 is capable of detecting and interpreting multiplecoincident touches, the user may place a first finger on the touchsensor 806 to cause display of a first reference work entry and then maytoggle through other reference work entries by tapping another finger onthe touch sensor 806.

In addition, the reference entry selection module 810 may select areference entry to output based on other characteristics. For instance,the module 810 may select a particular entry to output based on acurrent location of the device, as determined by a GPS system residenton the device, signal triangulation, or any other location-sensingmethod.

FIG. 2 further illustrates that the eBook reader device 800 may includethe display 220, which may be passive, emissive or any other form ofdisplay as discussed above. Also as discussed above, the display 220 andthe touch sensor 806 may couple to form a touch-sensitive display. Thatis, the touch sensor 806 may reside underneath or above the display 220in some instances, or may reside adjacent to the display in otherinstances.

The eBook reader device 800 may further be equipped with variousinput/output (I/O) components 222. Such components may include varioususer interface controls (e.g., buttons, a joystick, a keyboard, etc.),audio speakers, connection ports, and so forth. In addition, a networkinterface 224 supports both wired and wireless connection to variousnetworks, such as cellular networks, radio, WiFi networks, short rangenetworks (e.g., Bluetooth), IR, and so forth. The network interface 224may allow a user of the device 800 to download content items from thecontent item service 106.

The eBook reader device 800 also includes a battery and power controlunit 226. The battery and power control unit operatively controls anamount of power, or electrical energy, consumed by the eBook readerdevice. Actively controlling the amount of power consumed by the readerdevice may achieve more efficient use of electrical energy stored by thebattery.

Example User Interfaces and Processes

FIG. 9 illustrates an example user interface rendered by the device 800of FIG. 8. As illustrated, the device includes a touch-sensitive display902 that renders an eBook 904. During rendering of the eBook 904, a usermakes a selection of a word on the touch-sensitive display 902, asillustrated by the highlight 126. In response, the touch-inputcontroller 808 of the device 800 measures an amount of force 906 of theselection and provides this measured amount to the reference entryselection module 810. This module 810 may then map this particularamount of force to a particular type of reference work entry to output.For instance, the module 810 may output a first type of reference workentry for a touch-input having a measured force within a first range, asecond type of reference work entry for a touch-input having a measuredforce within a second range, and so forth.

In other instances, meanwhile, the controller 808 may measure the amountof force 906 of the initial touch and may use this amount as a baselinefor future touches. For instance, the device 800 may select and output afirst type of reference work entry in response to detecting a firsttouch, regardless of the amount of force of the touch. Thereafter, thedevice 800 may output other reference work entries in response todetecting touches having greater or lesser forces than the initial“baseline” touch.

In either instance, once the module 810 selects a reference work entrytype, the module 810 may output the entry to the user. In theillustrated example, the module 810 has overlaid the entry onto thetouch-sensitive display 902, although other implementations may outputthe entry in other ways. In this example, the reference work selectionmodule 810 has selected, based on the amount of force 906 of the touchinput, a dictionary entry 908 to output on the display. As such, FIG. 9illustrates that the device 800 outputs the dictionary entry 908 for theselected word “Mammal” FIG. 9 also illustrates that the entry 908provides an indication 910 of the source of the reference work entry.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example user interface rendered by the device 800after the user has increased the amount of force on the selected word.As illustrated, the user now selects the word “mammal” with an amount offorce 1002 that is greater than the amount of force 906. The user may ormay not have maintained contact with the touch-sensitive display 902between the applications of these two forces. In response to the secondinput of the user, the touch-input controller 808 has detected thegreater amount of force 1002 and provided this information to thereference entry selection module 810. In response, the module 810 hasmapped this amount of force to a particular reference work entry.

Here, the module 810 has selected a thesaurus entry 1004 for output onthe touch-sensitive display 902. As illustrated, the thesaurus entryincludes an indication 1006 of the source of entry, along with bothsynonyms and antonyms of the word “mammal” While FIG. 10 illustratesthat the device 800 outputs the thesaurus entry 1004 in response todetecting the amount of force 1002 on the location of the display 902associated with the word “mammal,” other implementations may output anyother type of reference work entry. In addition, other implementationsmay output the thesaurus entry in response to detecting a lesser amountof force.

FIG. 11 illustrates yet another example user interface rendered by thedevice 800 after the user has yet again provided an input having anincreased amount of force 1102 on the selected word “mammal” After thetouch-input controller 808 measures the increased force 1102 andprovides this information to the reference entry selection module 810,the module 810 selects a third, different type of reference work entryto output on the device. In the illustrated example, the device 800outputs an encyclopedia entry 1104 for the word “Mammal,” which againincludes an indication 1106 of the source of the entry.

With use of the described techniques, the user of the device 800 is ableto toggle through multiple different reference work entries associatedwith a particular word, phrase, image, or other portion of a contentitem. For instance, the user may toggle through a dictionary entry, athesaurus entry, an encyclopedia entry, and/or any other type ofreference work entry by altering the amount of force applied to thetouch-sensitive display 902. In addition, the device 800 may storelocally some or all of the underlying reference works, or the device 800may request and receive the surfaced entries over a network on anon-demand basis.

FIG. 12 illustrates another example user interface rendered by thedevice 800. Here, the touch-sensitive display 902 of the device 800renders the eBook 504 discussed with reference to FIG. 5 above. Here,the user selects (via a touch input) the word “bear” on the display 902,as indicated by the highlight 126. In response, the touch-inputcontroller 808 measures an amount of force 1202 of the selection. Basedat least partly on the amount of force 1202 of the selection, thereference entry selection module 810 outputs a thesaurus entry 1204 forthe word “bear,” which includes an indication 1206 of the type ofreference work being utilized.

In this instance, the module 810 has additionally determined that theeBook 502 is associated with the genre of “business.” The module 810 maymake this determination using any of the techniques described above,such as a by referencing a prior categorization of the eBook 502, byanalyzing key words of the eBook 502, or the like. After making thisdetermination, the reference entry selection module 810 outputs abusiness-related thesaurus entry 1204, rather than a standard thesaurusentry. As such, the entry 1204 provides business-based synonyms for theterm “bear,” such as pessimist, cynic, and defeatist. In addition, theentry 1204 includes an indication 1208 that this entry 1204 correspondsto a “business” use of the term.

FIG. 13 illustrates another example user interface rendered by thedevice 800 after the user has provided additional force on thetouch-sensitive display 902. Here, the touch-input controller 808measures an amount of force 1302 provided by the additional input andprovides this information to the reference entry selection module 810.In response, the module 810 selects a reference work entry to output onthe device 800. In this instance, the module 810 again outputs athesaurus entry 1304 (as shown by indication 1306). This thesaurusentry, however, is associated with a standard use of the term “bear” (asshown by indication 1308) and, as such, this entry includes synonymssuch as carry, convey, and deliver.

As such, FIGS. 12-13 illustrate that the user is able to toggle throughmultiple different context-sensitive reference work entries by providingvarying amounts of force on the touch-sensitive display. In combinationwith the techniques described above with reference to context-sensitivereference works, a user is able to view an initial reference work entrythat has been determined to most likely relate to the illustrated eBook,while providing the user the ability to toggle through multiple otherentries. For instance, the techniques may surface a business-relatedthesaurus entry for a business-related book, while allowing the user totoggle through other thesaurus entries for a same word by applying anincreased or decreased force to the display 902.

FIG. 14 is a flow diagram showing a process 1400 of selecting which ofmultiple reference work entries to output based on an amount of measuredforce associated with a selection. This process (as well as theprocesses described below) is illustrated as a logical flow graph, eachoperation of which represents a sequence of operations that can beimplemented in hardware, software, or a combination thereof. In thecontext of software, the operations represent computer-executableinstructions stored on one or more computer-readable storage media that,when executed by one or more processors, perform the recited operations.Generally, computer-executable instructions include routines, programs,objects, components, data structures, and the like that performparticular functions or implement particular abstract data types. Whilethis process illustrates one example order in which the operations ofthe process may occur, the example order is not intended to be construedas a limitation, and any number of the described operations can becombined in any order and/or in parallel to implement the process.

For discussion purposes, the process 1400 is described with reference tothe device 800 of FIG. 8, although other devices and architectures mayimplement this process.

At operation 1402, the device 800 detects an initial selection on atouch sensor and measures a force of the selection. For instance, a userof the device 800 may provide a touch input onto the touch-sensitivedisplay of the device via a finger, stylus, or the like. This initialselection may select a particular portion of a content item, such as aword or phrase, a location on a map, a portion of an image, or any otherportion of any type of content item.

At operation 1404, the device 800 causes display of a first referencework entry at least partly in response to detecting the initialselection. For instance, the device 800 may display the first referencework entry on the touch-sensitive display of the device, on anotherdisplay of the device, or on another display of a different device.Further, in some instances, the device 800 selects the first referencework entry based at least in part on the measured force of the initialselection. In other instances, meanwhile, the device 800 selects thefirst reference work entry regardless of an amount of force. In theselatter instances, the measured force of the initial selection may act asa baseline for future touch inputs.

In each of these instances, the displayed first reference work entry mayalso be based on a location of the initial selection on the touchsensor. For instance, if a user provides the touch input on a portion ofa touch-sensitive display displaying the word “mammal,” the device mayoutput a reference work entry (e.g., a dictionary entry, an encyclopediaentry, etc.) associated with the word “mammal”

At operation 1406, the touch sensor of the device detects a force thatis greater or lesser than the measured force of the initial selection.For instance, the user may have applied more force via her finger or astylus, with or without removing her finger or stylus from touch sensorafter making the initial selection.

At operation 1408 and in response to detecting the greater or lesserforce, the device 800 causes display of a second, different referencework entry. Again, the device may display this entry on any display,such as on the touch-sensitive display of the device 800. Further, thisentry may be selected based on an amount of force of the selectionand/or based on a difference in force between the initial selection andthe greater/lesser force. This second, displayed entry may also be basedon the portion of the content item that the user selects. In the exampleabove, for instance, the device 800 may output a thesaurus entry for theword “mammal” in response to the user providing a greater amount offorce at the location of the display displaying this word.

FIG. 15 illustrates yet another example user interface rendered by thedevice 800 of FIG. 8 after a user has made a selection of a word on thetouch-sensitive display 902 of the device 800. As illustrated, thedevice 800 currently outputs the eBook 904 and the user provides a firstinput 1502 in the form of a touch on the touch-sensitive display 902. Inresponse, the device 800 outputs a reference work entry associated withthe selected word. In the illustrated example, the device 800 againdisplays a dictionary entry 908 for the selected word “mammal”

FIG. 16 illustrates an example user interface rendered by the device 800after the user provides an additional input 1602. This additional inputmay comprise additional force on the touch-sensitive display, a touch onthe display that is coincident with the initial touch input, activationof a key on a keypad of the device 800, an oral command spoken by theuser and captured by a microphone of the device 800, or any other typeof input.

In response to the additional input 1602, the device 800 outputs asecond, different reference work entry 1004. The device 800 may selectthis entry 1004 based on actual contents of the additional input 1602,or the device 800 may select this entry 1004 based on the entry 1004being “next in line” for display.

In either instance, FIGS. 15-16 illustrate that a user of the device 800is able to toggle through multiple reference work entries associatedwith a portion of a content item by providing a touch input and,thereafter, providing other preconfigured inputs. For instance, a userof the device may view a dictionary entry of a word by providing aninitial touch input on the touch-sensitive display of the device.Thereafter, the user may toggle through multiple other reference workentries associated with the word by providing a second, coincident touchon the display. As such, the user could view a thesaurus entry bymaintaining contact with her finger on the display and providing a firsttap, an encyclopedia entry by providing a second tap, search engineresults by providing a third tap, and so forth.

Conversely, the user could toggle through multiple different referencework entries by providing a touch input and then selecting a particularbutton on a keypad of the device. For instance, after providing a touchinput, the user could select the “T” on the keypad to view the thesaurusentry for the word, the “E” on the keypad to view the encyclopedia entryof the word, and so forth. Conversely, the user may select a singlebutton that toggles through these reference work entries in apreconfigured order.

In yet another example, the user could toggle through multiple differentreference work entries by providing a touch input and then providing anoral command. For instance, the user could say aloud “thesaurus,”“encyclopedia,” “map,” and so forth. In response to the microphone ofthe device capturing the command, the device 800 may process thisrequest and output the requested reference work entry. Conversely, theuser may provide a single command (e.g., “next”) that, when received,causes the device to toggle through the reference work entries in apreconfigured order.

FIG. 17 is a flow diagram showing a process 1700 of outputting a firstreference work entry in response to receiving a touch selection on adisplay and, thereafter, outputting a second, different reference workentry after receiving an additional input.

At operation 1702, the device 800 receives a first user input on atouch-sensitive display 902 of the device 800. For instance, the usermay select a particular portion of a content item that the deviceoutputs, such as a particular word or phrase of an eBook.

At operation 1704, the device causes display of a first reference workentry associated with the selected portion of the content item. Forinstance, if the user selects the word “mammal,” the device 800 maydisplay a dictionary entry or other reference work entry for this word.Conversely, if the user selects the word “Los Angeles,” the device 800may display the location of this city on a map.

At operation 1706, user provides and the device receives a second userinput, which may or may not be coincident with the first input providedon the touch-sensitive display. For instance, the user may provideadditional force on the display, may provide an additional point ofcontact or touch on the display, may activate a button on a keypad ofthe device, may orally speak a command, and so forth.

At operation 1708, in response to receiving the second input the device800 causes display of a second, different reference work entry. In someinstances, this reference work entry is also associated with theinitially selected portion of the content item. For instance, the device800 may display a thesaurus entry for a selected word after displaying adictionary entry for the word at the operation 1704.

FIG. 18 illustrates an example user interface rendered by the device 800of FIG. 8 after a user has made a selection of a word on thetouch-sensitive display 902 of the device 800. In this example, thedevice 800 measures a force of the selection and determines whether tooutput a particular reference work entry in response to the selection,or whether to enable the user of the device 800 to select a referencework entry for output. For instance, the device 800 may determinewhether a provided force is greater or less than a threshold force and,in response to this determination, may output the particular referencework entry or may enable the user to make the selection.

FIG. 18, for instance, illustrates that the device 800 outputs areference work entry (e.g., the dictionary entry 908) after determiningthat an amount of force 1802 of this selection is less than a thresholdforce. This threshold force may be configurable by a user of the device800 in some instances.

FIG. 19, meanwhile, illustrates an example user interface rendered bythe device 800 after the device determines that an amount of force ofthis selection is greater than the threshold force. Here, the device 800enables the user to select a reference work entry to output, each ofwhich may be associated with the word “mammal” In this example, thedevice 800 displays a menu 1902 with selectable icons, such as“dictionary entry,” “thesaurus entry,” and the like. With the menu 1902,the user may select one of the icons to cause the device 800 to displaythe corresponding reference work entry. For instance, the user mayselect “encyclopedia entry” to view an encyclopedia entry for the word“mammal”

FIGS. 18-19 thus illustrate that the device 800 may determine whether tooutput an entry or whether to enable a user to select an entry based onan amount of force of a user's selection. While these figures illustratethat the device enables user selection in response to detecting a forcethat is greater than a threshold force, in other instances the devicemay operate in an opposite manner. That is, the device 800 may enablethe user to select a reference work entry in response to detecting aforce that is less than a threshold force. Similarly, in theseinstances, the device 800 may output a particular reference work entryin response to detecting a force that is greater than the thresholdforce.

Furthermore, while FIG. 19 illustrates one example manner that the usermay select a reference work entry for output, the device 800 may enablethis selection in a number of other ways. For instance, the device 800may allow the user to orally state which reference work entry to output(e.g., “thesaurus”) or may allow the user to make this selection in anyother manner.

These techniques may also operate in conjunction with the techniques fortoggling through the multiple reference work entries, described above.For instance, the device may output a first entry in response to a firstamount of force, a second entry in response to a second, greater amountof a force, and the selectable menu 1902 in response to a third, evengreater amount of force.

FIG. 20 is a flow diagram showing a process 2000 of determining whetherto output a reference work entry or whether to allow a user to selectwhich reference work entry to output based on an amount of force of aselection. The device 800 and/or a component in communication with thedevice 800 may perform this process in some instances.

At operation 2002, the device detects a selection on a touch-sensitivedisplay of the device. For instance, the device may detect the userproviding a touch input via her finger, a stylus, or the like. Thisselection may be associated with a particular portion of a content itembeing rendered by the device, such as a particular word or phrase of aneBook.

At operation 2004, the device measures an amount of a force of theselection. At operation 2006, the device then determines whether themeasured amount of force is greater than or less than a preconfiguredthreshold value. In response to determining that the measured force isless than the threshold value, the device causes display of a referencework entry on the display at operation 2008. Conversely, in response todetermining that the measured amount of force is greater than thethreshold amount of force, the device 800 enables the user select anentry at operation 2010. For instance, the device 800 may output theselectable menu 1902 or may otherwise allow the user to select whichreference work entry to display on the device.

CONCLUSION

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather,the specific features and acts are disclosed as exemplary forms ofimplementing the claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform acts comprising: detecting an initial selection of a word being output by a touch-sensitive display and measuring a force of the initial selection on the touch-sensitive display; causing display of a first reference work entry associated with the word on the touch-sensitive display at least partly in response to the detecting of the initial selection; detecting a force on the touch-sensitive display that is greater or lesser than the measured force of the initial selection; and causing display of a second, different reference work entry associated with the word on the touch-sensitive display at least partly in response to the detecting of the greater or lesser force.
 2. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the greater or lesser force is detected at an area of the touch-sensitive display that displays the selected word.
 3. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the first reference work entry is from a first category of reference work and the second reference work entry is from a second, different category of reference work.
 4. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 3, wherein the first or second category of reference work comprises a dictionary, a thesaurus, an almanac, an atlas, an encyclopedia, or a gazetteer.
 5. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the first and second reference work entries are both from a same category of reference work.
 6. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 5, wherein the first or second reference work entry comprises a science reference work entry, a science-fiction reference work entry, a medical reference work entry, a business reference work entry, a legal reference work entry, a native-language reference work entry, or a non-native-language reference work entry.
 7. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein the force of the initial selection comprises a first force and the greater or lesser force comprises a second force, and further storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause the one or more processors to perform acts comprising: detecting a third force on the touch-sensitive display that is greater or lesser than both the first and second forces; and causing display of a third, different reference work entry associated with the word on the touch-sensitive display at least partly in response to the detecting of the third force.
 8. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 1, wherein touch-sensitive display forms a portion of an electronic book reader device, and wherein the selected word forms a portion of an electronic book rendered by the electronic book reader device.
 9. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 8, wherein the first or second reference work entry is from a reference work provided by a publisher of the electronic book.
 10. A method comprising: under control of an electronic device configured with specific executable instructions and having a touch-sensitive display, receiving a first user input selecting a portion of a content item being output by the touch-sensitive display, the first user input being received via the touch-sensitive display; causing display of a first reference work entry associated with the portion of the content item on the touch-sensitive display at least partly in response to the receiving of the first user input; receiving a second user input requesting to view a second reference work entry associated with the portion of the content item, the second user input comprising an additional amount of force on the touch-sensitive display; causing display of a second, different reference work entry associated with the portion of the content item on the touch-sensitive display at least partly in response to the receiving of the second user input; and measuring an amount force on the touch-sensitive display of the first user input.
 11. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein: the first user input received via the touch-sensitive display is received at a first location on the touch-sensitive display; the touch-sensitive display is configured to detect multiple coincident touches; and the second user input comprises a touch input received coincident with the first touch input and at a second location on the touch-sensitive display.
 12. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the electronic device further includes a keypad, and wherein the second user input is received via the keypad of the electronic device.
 13. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the electronic device further includes a microphone, and wherein the second user input is received via the microphone of the electronic device.
 14. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the electronic device further includes a camera, and wherein the second user input comprises a gesture received via the camera of the electronic device.
 15. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the first or the second reference work entry is based at least in part on a location of the electronic device when the first or second user input is received.
 16. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the causing of the display of the first or second reference work entry comprises (1) accessing the first or second reference work entry from a corresponding reference work stored on the electronic device, or (2) receiving the first or second reference work entry from a corresponding reference work over a network at least partly in response to the receiving of the first or second user input.
 17. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the content item comprises an electronic book having text, and the selected portion of the content item comprises at least one word of the electronic book.
 18. A method as recited in claim 10, wherein the content item comprises a map, and the selected portion of the content item comprises a location on the map.
 19. An electronic device, comprising: one or more processors; memory coupled to the one or more processors; a touch-sensitive display communicatively coupled to the one or more processors to render a content item and to detect user inputs of varying force; a content item stored in the memory; and a reference entry selection module, stored in the memory and executable on the one or more processors to: receive an indication that the touch-sensitive display has detected a user input having a particular force; select one of multiple reference work entries to output on the touch-sensitive display based at least in part on the particular force of the user input; receive an indication that the touch-sensitive display has detected another user input having a greater amount of force than the particular force; and select a different one of the multiple reference work entries to output on the touch-sensitive display based at least in part on the greater amount of force of the another user input.
 20. An electronic device as recited in claim 19, wherein the user input is received at a particular location on the touch-sensitive display associated with a particular portion of the content item, and wherein the selected reference work entry is associated with the particular portion of the content item.
 21. An electronic device as recited in claim 20, wherein the content item comprises an electronic book, and the particular portion of the electronic book comprises a word within the electronic book.
 22. An electronic device as recited in claim 19, wherein the selected reference work entry is from a dictionary, a thesaurus, an almanac, an atlas, an encyclopedia, or a gazetteer.
 23. An electronic device as recited in claim 19, further comprising a content presentation application, stored in the memory and executable on the one or more processors to cause display of the content item and the selected reference work entry on the touch-sensitive display of the electronic device.
 24. An electronic book reader device as recited in claim 19, wherein the electronic device comprises an electronic book reader device, a handheld tablet computing device, a desktop computer, a laptop computer, or a kiosk.
 25. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing computer-executable instructions that, when executed, cause one or more processors to perform acts comprising: detecting a selection, made by a user, of a portion of a content item being output by a touch-sensitive display; measuring a force of the selection on the touch-sensitive display; determining whether the measured amount of force is greater than a threshold amount of force; and prompting the user to select a reference work entry to output on the touch-sensitive display at least partly in response to determining that the measured amount of force is greater than the threshold amount of force; and outputting, on the touch-sensitive display, a reference work entry associated with the portion of the content item at least partly in response to determining that the measured amount of force is not greater than the threshold amount of force.
 26. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 25, wherein the prompting the user to select a reference work entry comprises prompting the user to select one of multiple different reference work entries.
 27. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 26, wherein the multiple different reference work entries each reside within a different respective category of reference work.
 28. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 26, wherein the multiple different reference work entries each reside within a same category of reference work.
 29. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 28, wherein the multiple different reference work entries within the same category of reference work comprise one or more of a science reference work entry, a science-fiction reference work entry, a medical reference work entry, a business reference work entry, a legal reference work entry, a native-language reference work entry, or a non-native-language reference work entry.
 30. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media as recited in claim 25, wherein the prompting the user to select a reference work entry comprises outputting on the touch-sensitive display a selectable menu of multiple, different reference work entries. 